


This Christmas!

by PetildaFan, VioletGanache42



Category: DuckTales (Cartoon 2017)
Genre: Alternate Canon, Episode: s02e06 Last Christmas!, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-17
Updated: 2019-12-17
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:21:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21838873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PetildaFan/pseuds/PetildaFan, https://archiveofourown.org/users/VioletGanache42/pseuds/VioletGanache42
Summary: You've seen Scrooge and Dewey embark on their respective holiday adventures in the past, but have you wondered about what was occurring in the present? Set during the events of "Last Christmas!", most of the Duck family has been busy preparing themselves for the most festive holiday of the year, unaware of someone from within the shadows wishing to experience Christmas herself.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 20





	This Christmas!

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, everyone! The name's VioletGanache42, and if that name sounds familiar to you, then you are correct. I am the same VioletGanache42 from Tumblr and I have finally created an AO3 account! Granted, there are some things on this site that may take some getting used to, but regardless, I am proud to share my very first fanfic with you. After all the co-writing with PetildaFan's published ARC-V fics, I figured I would try something new by taking charge in our most recent collab; we both agreed on DuckTales (2017) because we've never done any fanworks involving one of our favorite cartoons before and I had this story idea in my head since last month, which is perfect for the holiday season.
> 
> Consider the first chapter our way of celebrating Christmas within the DT17 community and expect a couple more chapters hopefully before Christmas and even New Years… depending on how busy we are with celebrating the holidays. Hope you enjoy reading it!

Thick, gray clouds covered the nighttime sky, but it wouldn't be long before they began segragated from each other, revealing patches of the beauty all across the atmosphere. From the dark teal near the ground to a bold midnight blue high above, scattered dots of luminescent whites and icy blues twinkled and shimmered, including a large sparkle pointing in eight directions. The more the clouds separated from one another, the brighter the sky became as they illuminated at a city below. 

From the suburbs to the bustling streets of downtown, every square foot and structure was packed in a blanket of white, powdery snow. The roof of the modern, towering tech company Waddle, the piles of garbage in the junkyard, the sketchy neighborhood near Funso's Fun Zone, even the secluded island harboring the Money Bin. No matter where you go, there would always be snow in every corner, but that is not the only sight the average person would see. Houses, restaurants, shops, and even some businesses were all adorned with a mixture of the following: strands of clear or colored fluorescent lights, pine wreaths, inflatables, displays, ornaments, and decorative ribbons. When putting two and two together, one would realize it is the night before Christmas, and all throughout December, life has been like a candy cane here in Duckburg. 

Near the Industrial District of the city stands a snow-coated mountain with the road wrapping around it perfectly paved; starting at the entrance to the Money Bin and going down a connected bridge to a tunnel, the clear pathway ascends all the way to a roundabout, with a fountain containing a golden statue of coins and a large dollar sign at the top. Behind the roundabout and fountain is where a mansion is located, but it is no ordinary mansion; the top of the mountain harbors a vital landmark in Duckburg: McDuck Manor, the home of Scrooge McDuck—the richest duck in the world—and his family. Unsurprisingly, the manor is all decorated for Christmas, with red and yellow light strands on the exterior walls and roof edges, a long, red ribbon wrapped around an attached tower and tied into a bow near the top, one large candy on each side of the front stairs, and a wreath just above the entrance and on one of the windows. Out in the front yard, Scrooge's nephew, Donald Duck, has been hard at work with the decorations, setting up an inflatable snowduck as he sings to the melody of a classic Christmas song. 

"Deck the lawn with tons of snowmen," Donald sang as he pumped away. "Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la!"

At that moment, Scrooge opened the front door. "Hey!" he shouted, causing Donald to panic and hide inside the inflatable snowduck. "Get those inflatable abominations off my lawn!"

Donald popped out of the inflatable snowduck and landed on his butt. "But you have the perfect yard for a winter wonderland!" he insisted.

"I also have a pilot who can't tell the difference between Christmas lights and landing lights!" Scrooge pointed out.

At that moment, the sound of a plane passing overhead broke the peaceful silence in the sky, quickly leading to a gulp from Donald because he realized two distinct points. The first one was how he arranged the two rows of Christmas lights; just not too long ago, he had set them up without noticing they are _exactly_ arranged like the landing lights at an airport. As for the second—and more important—point, there was only one person incapable of telling the two sets of lights apart. 

Donald turned around to see where the sound was coming from since it was getting unusually closer, and much to his shock, he could see the Sunchaser heading directly towards the front yard. In a panic, he hurried to get the Christmas lights out of the snow, only to get briefly electrocuted in the process. Now tangled in the lights, he got back up and immediately jumped on the snowduck in order to deflate it. Scrooge was watching his nephew's efforts, but knowing the end results, he simply rolled his eyes and went back into the mansion, closing the door behind him. Sure enough, right as the door was completely shut, the Sunchaser crashed where Donald was as he exclaimed upon impact. 

In the foyer, decorating for the holidays was far more peaceful for the residents of McDuck Manor. One of them was already handling with decorating the Christmas tree as she threw a lasso at the top to secure it. Gripping onto the other end of the rope, she lept off the railing in the archway and began to swing around the tree. Possessing those specific skills was none other than Webby Vanderquack, who was wearing her usual outfit but with a noticable difference: a green headband with reindeer antlers and a red and green bow on the side. 

As she swung in an orbiting motion, she threw the decorations onto the tree and called out, "Tinsel! Holly! Novelty ornaments!" Once she was done, she let go of the rope and landed next to Huey Duck, with the latter dressed in a red and green Christmas hat and a red sweater. "Pure Christmas magic," she stated, admiring the work she put in. 

Huey flipped through the pages of his Junior Woodchuck guidebook and raised it in front of him, having found what he was looking for. The JWG has two pages dedicated to the perfect Christmas tree, and when he compared the image with Webby's method of decoarting, there were some blatant dissimilarities. Aside from the lasso left on the top, only the bottom half of the tree was decorated with the gold tinsel not having wrapped around and the ornaments clustered together. A pink ornament fell off the tree branch, which thankfully didn't break when it landed on the floor. 

"I have some notes on your ornament distribution," Huey commented. 

"Magic!" Webby simply replied as she leaned in to hug him. 

Scrooge grumbled under his breath as he walked past the two, their hug now broken as they both stared at him speechlessly. Meanwhile, Duckworth decided to assist Webby with tree decorating by placing the star on top, making himself visible right as he finished. Louie, on the other hand, sat near the staircase as he worked on an important letter to Santa, but it got crumbled up by Scrooge before the former could continue. In the midst of their holiday shenanigans, almost no one picked up the sound of laughter from within the foyer; near the tree stood a teenage duck with her color scheme inverted with cool greens and blues. 

Ever since her sacrifice and the defeat of Magical De Spell, Lena has been stuck in the Shadow Realm for the past four months or so, with most of the time spent as Webby's shadow. Before the tree decorations, she had materialized into her shadow form to see what her best friend has been doing on Christmas Eve, so seeing the progress and results was enough to make her laugh. If you're thinking she was the one who caused the pink ornament to fall, then you are correct because she accidentally bumped into the tree due to her fixating on her laughter, which ended up startling her. After seeing Scrooge walk by and Huey trying to tell Webby how to properly decorate a Christmas tree, Lena took the opportunity to quickly place the ornament back on to avoid suspicion.

"Whew!" Lena sighed, glad no one saw that-

"Trying to assist your friend?"

The sudden voice snapped Lena from her relieved thoughts and sent a startled jolt throughout her body. Her head and eyes skimmed the entire foyer, wondering where it came from, only for them to stare upwards at the top of the tree, with Duckworth floating next to it. On top of being surprised, a sense of puzzlement crossed Lena's mind. As far as she knows, no one has been able to see or hear it all ever since the end of the Shadow War, so why is she finding out now that a ghost butler may be the only one to communicate with her?

"...You can see me?" Lena asked.

"Of course I can," Duckworth confirmed as he floated over to her side. "I have been able to see you for a long time, always staying by Ms. Webbigail's side. But it has intrigued me that you have never made any effort to try and communicate with her."

"I don't want her to freak out," Lena admitted with a sigh. "I mean, the last time she saw me, my body was destroyed."

"This is Ms. Webbigail we are talking about," Duckworth pointed out. "I doubt she would freak out if you were to retu-"

"OW!"

The pained yell echoing throughout the foyer was enough to grab the attentions of Duckworth and Lena, along with Huey, Webby, and Louie. They all stared at Scrooge, who had just stepped in a mousetrap baited with holly; according to Mrs. Beakley, these were cryptid traps all set up to prevent another pesky sugar plum fairy infestation. It was part of a list of holiday traditions at McDuck Manor, including Christmas Eve dinner at 8:15 and the annual screening of _Christmas on Bear Mountain_ at 9:08. 

"Yah!" Scrooge uttered as he yanked the mousetrap off his webbed foot before proceeding with his rant. "Crass commercialism, empty sentiment, and all the trappings of the holiday! And the endless monuments to that reindeer-rustling, red-suited rep—"

He paused with his spouting as he noticed his cane just came in contact with something rubbery. Turning his body to the right, his eyes witnessed something that left him speechless; he tilted his head upwards, only for his beak to drop wide as he gazed in disbelief at an animatronic inflatable of a bearded polar bear dressed in red. If there was one thing he absolutely despised about Christmas, it was Father Christmas himself: Santa Claus.

Glaring at everyone near the Christmas tree, Scrooge questioned in a serious tone, "Who put this up?"

Without hesitation, everyone instantly began playing the blame game. Duckworth, Huey, and Webby all lifted their arms and extended their fingers to point directly at Louie. Unbeknownst to the group, Lena joined in and also had her finger pointing in the direction of the youngest and mischievious triplet; she spotted him earlier setting up the animated Santa inflatable and honestly thought it wouldn't be a huge deal. This incident proved her wrong. As for Louie, he wasted no time to raise his arm up to blame someone as well, except who was he accusing? The general direction he was pointing at was near Huey yet no one was next to him. 

Shortly thereafter, Donald—miraculously unscathed from the crash—had just entered the manor and was walking through the foyer while trying to untangle himself from the lights. He stopped his movements when his eyes caught a livid Scrooge standing near the staircase. He glanced over to see the others, minus Lena, letting the miserly duck who was responsible, including Louie trying to avoid getting in trouble and who he was accusing. Not wanting to get involved or the blame be put on him, Donald made the smart move to step away from the room. 

Almost instantly, Scrooge attacked the inflatable Santa with an enraged growl. "Take that, ya Yuletide-ic traitor!" he yelled as he beat it with his cane. During his attacks, Webby—her right hand grabbing onto her left arm and not letting a single word slip—watched as the animated inflatable's Santa hat landed on the foyer's floor. 

"Not so lively and quick now, are ya?" Scrooge taunted, still using his cane to attack the inflatable before halting his actions. Despite the damage it took, the gears continued to whir, almost as if it was functioning properly… Almost. Adjusting his top hat, Scrooge muttered, "Bah, humbug."

As he jumped off the animated inflatable and tredded down the hallway, Webby let out a gasp because she knew she heard those two words correctly. "He said it!" she excitedly commented. 

"I'm going to bed!" Scrooge declared, slamming the door behind him. The vibrations from the slam was enough to cause a potted plant to fall from the table and break on the floor. With him in his bedroom, most of the kids, Lena, and Duckworth were left lingering in the foyer, evidently speechless about what just occurred as the gears whirred not to far in the distance. 

Wanting to ease the tension, Donald cleared his throat. "So..." He nervously chuckled. "Who's up for singing Christmas songs?"

"Ooooh, me!" Webby exclaimed, eagerly raising her hand. But then she lowered it upon realizing someone was missing. "Where's Dewey?"

"Probably still in his room," Louie guessed with a shrug.

"Then I better go get him," Donald volunteered. "And I'll try to find my ukulele while I'm at it."

With any luck, Donald was bound to locate his ukulele somewhere in the houseboat. As he ran past the group to take the mansion's shortest possible route to head to the pool, Lena couldn't help but think to herself about what has happened so far. Scrooge is quite grumpier during Christmas time, Duckworth is the only one who can see and hear her for some reason, and Dewey hasn't been with the kids for a good chunk of the day. If anything, this has got to be the strangest Christmas Eve she's ever experienced… and it was her first time actually celebrating it!

As Louie, Webby, and Huey resumed their Christmas activities to pass the time while waiting for Donald, Lena took this opportunity to speak to Duckworth in private. "So... how does Christmas work in this world?" she wondered.

"I take it this is the first time you have celebrated the holidays?" Duckworth guessed.

"I celebrated it before in the Shadow Realm," Lena explained. "Over there, the shadows celebrate it by crossing over to the mortal world and scaring innocent sleepers. It was followed up by a haunted dinner at a random house."

"Ah yes, I remember spending a few Christmases much like that," Duckworth recalled.

"Wait... you have?" Lena asked, confused.

"Only on occasion, much like when Mr. McDuck and his family traveled to Mt. Neverrest," Duckworth explained. "But I must say, I prefer celebrating Christmas among the mortals, much like when I was still alive."

What Duckworth explained wasn't actually that farfetched; although holidays in the Shadow Realm was predominantly celebrated by the shadows, as the name suggests, Lena recalled seeing a few other supernatural entities crossing over from their respective domains to take part in the festivities. Granted, it sometimes comes at a cost because it wasn't uncommon for the various beings to absorb a fraction of the limitless energy manifested in the Shadow Realm, giving them new abilities to harness or an alternate form to transform into. Whether it was a positive or a negative consequence depended on who the entity was and how they used their newfound powers to their benefits. Take Duckworth for example. Thanks to him attending last year's Christmas celebrations, he can speak with any shadows lingering in the mortal world like Lena, as well as… Well, let's just say his other ability is rather demonic. 

"So I suppose you need assistance with the customs of mortal Christmas," Duckworth continued.

"I guess..." Lena sheepishly admitted.

"Well fear not, I will be more than happy to assist you," Duckworth volunteered. "For instance, there is the frequent festivities known as caroling, where-"

"Okay, I got the ukulele!" Donald announced as he reentered the foyer. "Now to see if Dewey wants to join us."

* * *

In a darkened room, the natural light from the outdoors flooded its way through a large, open window. The sky was now perfectly clear, still casting its dark teal to midnight blue gradient without the trace of a single cloud, and the surplus of stars can finally their astronomical beauty, including the same octogram shining brighter than any other star across the twilight. Its astronomical rays casted onto the snow-coated landscape surrounding McDuck Manor and caught the eyes of a particular duckling, who was on his knees and peered out the window from the middle bunk of a three level bunk bed. 

Unlike the other kids, whether it is a full-blown Christmas outfit, reindeer antlers, or even a hoodie with a Christmas tree on it, Dewey Duck was the only one wearing his usual blue T-shirt over a light blue long-sleeved shirt. Looking away from the stars, he reached for something underneath his pillow. He pulled it out before sitting on the mattress covered in a blue blanket, a melancholy expression having already formed. The item in question was a photo taken around the time before he and his brothers were born as indicated by three eggs in a wooden box filled with hay. Behind the makeshift nest, three familiar adult ducks happily stood next to each other; two of them were undoubtedly Donald and Scrooge, but the third one had shoulder length, straight hair and wore a brown jacket buttoned up to cover a green tank top, a teal scarf, khaki shorts, and a pair of brown pilot goggles. 

Dewey let out a sigh as his eyes fixated on the framed picture and he said with a bittersweet smile, "Merry Christmas, Mom."

Unfortunately for him, the time spent grieving over his missing mother was short-loved as the door to his bedroom was enthusiastically kicked open. Startled, Dewey hurriedly shoved the frame back under his pillow as Donald sang while playing his ukulele. 

"Tis the season to be jolly!" Donald sang. "Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la..." But one look at his blue-cladded nephew made him stop singing. "...la?"

Dewey didn't say anything nor change position. Frowning, Donald stomped over to the bed and snatched the frame from under the pillow. One glance at the photo, however, softened his expression. "Oh," the older duck said. "Um... We're about to sing some Christmas carols." He forced a smile. "Come on!"

"I'm... I'm not really in a merry mood," Dewey responded as he snatched back the frame and stuffed it under his pillow once more.

"Yeah, sure... Okay," Donald muttered, sheepishly walking backwards towards the door. "Well, if you change your mind..." But as soon as turned around, the smile slipped away. Sighing, he begrudgingly left the room, leaving Dewey alone for the night.

With his uncle heading back downstairs, Dewey spent the next couple seconds fixating at the hall near the staircase, with his eyelids narrowed as he peered through the open bedroom door. Even so, the aching sadness in his heart was more than enough to reel his eyes back to the outdoors and he readjusted himself on the bed. Sitting on the pillow, he planted his elbows on his legs and his head rested on the curled fingers and palms of his hands, picking up where he left off with viewing the eight pointed star light-years in the distance.

It was hard to believe he, Huey, Louie, and Webby learned the truth over four months ago; now, he can't help but miss her more than ever on what is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year. All the birthdays, special occasions, and holidays—especially Christmas—spent without her hardly crossed his mind, never giving them a second thought until recently. Every hint of sorrow within each memory leaked into his heart, pumping the growing emotion as blue as the brightest star in the twilight through his veins, dampening the mood to spend time with his family. They haven't been the same without her for a decade. To Dewey, this family just isn't complete without Della Duck. It might be that way for the forseeable future unless a little miracle can truly thaw or maybe melt away the freezing heartache…

But this story isn't about him, so let's cut back to the foyer, where Donald had returned. "Where's Dewey?" Huey asked.

Donald half-hearteningly sighed. "I don't think he's in the Christmas spirit," he reported.

The kids were disappointed with the news, although Webby spoke for all three of them. "WHAT?!" she shouted. "He's skipping Christmas?!" She raised a shaking fist at eye-level. "I swear that by the end of this evening, I'll make him feel jolly again!"

"There will be no need, Ms. Webbigail," Duckworth said as he floated forward. "I am certain he will be alright." He discreetly nudged Lena. "Perhaps he needs some time alone to calm down before he can join in with the festivities."

It took a while for Lena to understand what Duckworth meant. "You want me to cheer him up?" she guessed.

Duckworth briefly glanced at Lena and nodded slightly. She let out a sigh. "Alright," she said. "I'll see what I can do."

Almost instantly, Lena made a beeline for the triplets' bedroom, heading up the staircase that connects the foyer to the hallway. During her trek, she pondered on the notion of brightening Dewey's mood; since literally no one, save Duckworth, can see her, she may have to resort to touching physical objects to get his attention. The thought of her "invisible" actions raising suspicions in the mansion, especially on the night before Christmas was something she wished she wouldn't do, but she might not have much of a choice. In turn, this does raise a question: _what_ can she use to get him to notice?

Whether they're in Earth or in the Shadow Realm, shadows like Lena share similar abilities to ghosts while harboring unique skills of their own. On a standard level, they can phase through almost anything, an ability akin to any apparition: doors, walls, people, you name it. They are also capable of possessing a vessel, regardless if it's inanimate or a living being. Just ask Magica. However, if there's one ability all shadows share, it is interactions with objects; no matter what circumstance it is, either roaming the mortal world or powered by dark magic to become tangible, they all utilize the same sense of touch as everyone. These include giving their mortal duplicate a $20 bill, wearing a cybernetic suit armed with gadgets and gizmos, covering themselves in a white blanket, and putting a ornament back on a Christmas tree. 

On that note, with her lost in thought, it only took the sight of an open bedroom door to reel her back to reality. She must've not noticed the staircase off to the side of the hall leading upstairs; no matter, at least it was the correct direction to the boys' bedroom. Lena took it upon herself to tread cautiously into the bedroom to see how she can get Dewey to notice her, but a couple footsteps in and she could see the room was completely empty. Rays of light from the glistering stars pierced through a now partially open window, with a faint breeze periodically blowing in through the gap and hitting against the curtains. Next to the window was the bunk bed, and sure enough, no one was sitting on any of the three levels. 

This was certainly unusual. Everyone knows where Dewey has been hiding throughout most of Christmas Eve yet he is nowhere in sight? Did Lena enter the wrong room? Is he heading somewhere else in this massive manor? Before the questions could grow more worrisome, the breeze suddenly picked up in strength to turn into a brief gust of wind and slam the window shut. Startled by this, Lena ran towards it to see where the wind came from and why it came out of nowhere; her hands rested on the window sill for support as her head phased through the glass to inspect the outdoors. From the corners of her eyes, she spotted a glowing green light coming from a lower level window and shooting out into the air, revealing to be a chain with four people gripping onto each other, including one who was hanging onto the back of a dark cloak. 

"Dewey!" Lena called out, only for her to quickly realize he can't hear her. 

Unbeknownst to her, someone else did. The one who formed the chain, a green cricket holding a special umbrella, blinked out of puzzlement when he heard the voice. Before he could get a chance to wonder where it originated from, he let out a yelp as he and his friends—Scrooge, a pig dressed in green, and a cloaked skeleton wielding a scythe—all felt something briefly pull them down. Nevertheless, they all soared across the night sky before vanishing into the Duckburg skyline. 

Shortly after disappearing, Lena covered her face with her hands as the sound of a concerned and slightly miffed sigh escaped. Well, this was fantastic. Dewey has literally snuck off behind everyone's backs to who knows where… and he might even be tagging along with Scrooge and his pals! How could something like this happen on Christmas Eve? Why on earth doesn't he want to spend the holidays with the holidays? The reason has to be somewhere in the bedroom, but where and what is it? 

Lena turned away from the window, lowering her hands to skim the entire bedroom before her eyes made contact with the bunk bed, complete with a ladder leaning against the bed frame. Raising a curious eyebrow, she wasted no time to climb up the ladder until she could see a blue blanket over the mattress; there was clearly nothing remotely eyecatching anywhere, but something like a pillow could be the key. She stretched her right arm out just enough for her hand to crawl underneath the pillow and it didn't take super long for her fingers to feel something. Her face lit up in response to the contact and pulled it out to see what it was, only for her expression to morph into a more inquisitive state. 

That's what was keeping Dewey occupied in the bedroom? A framed picture? It may not seem reotely interesting to the average eye, but in Lena's case, she recognized Donald and Scrooge in an instant. A slight shift from her eyes led to a surprised blink as she fixated on the third duck. She has never seen her before, and out of all the times she hung out with the kids, the duck in question was not seen or mentioned at all. As Lena's irises lowered a little, a small gasp slipped out at the sight of three equally sized eggs in a homemade nest. Switching her sight between the eggs and the female duck, she thought to herself, _No way. Is that… their mother?_

At that moment, her eyes simply hovered over the photo, her eyebrows sadly descended at the knowledge of what the family had gone through. Not once did it cross her mind that Dewey, his brothers, and their uncles were facing with a tragedy of their own and she couldn't help but feel sorry for them. The loss and the suffering. It's enough to tug at anyone's heartstrings… and that someone was Lena as she felt a tiny thump hit her chest. Despite the size of the skipped beat, her reacting to it by glancing downwards to her heart's location was enough to grab her attention. That was peculiar; why would her "body" react in such a manner? She was only showing sympathy for the Duck family, and aside from that, she was certain the effects of the loss of a beloved relative were substancial to them… right?

* * *

"Frosty the snowduck was a jolly, happy soul," Donald sang as he strum his ukulele. "With a corncob pipe and a felted beak, and two eyes made out of coal!"

"Frosty the snowduck is a fairytale, they say," Webby sang. "He was made of snow, but the children know how he came to life one day!"

"There must have been some weird tech in that old silk hat they found," Huey sang. "For when they placed it on his head, he began to-"

"Wait a sec!" Louie interrupted, holding his hands up in protest. "'Weird tech'? That's not how the song goes!"

"I never heard of magical artifacts that bring inanimate objects to life," Huey explained. "That hat was clearly an advanced invention."

"An invention from a magician?" Webby challenged. "Did you learn nothing from the special?!"

"Yes, and that same magician was never good at magic," Huey recalled. "His lack of magical talent proves he used special technology to turn his hat into a pocket dimension."

This has always been a recurring dispute among the Duck family every Christmas, going back long before moving into the mansion. As timeless as the specials and holiday episodes are, some of their aspects don't make sense to Huey from a logical standpoint. How does a top hat contain magic capable of bringing a snowduck to life? Why is Santa able to breather underwater? And don't get him started on Rudolph and how he obtained his famous red nose. One would think he would be used to the supernatural phenomena given the adventures he's been on; however, there are occasions where he can't help but try and construct logical arguments for anything he still doesn't understand, much like what took place in the abandoned subway rail. 

A few minutes later, Donald sighed as he put down his ukulele. "...and let's not forget how weird the Island of Misfit Toys laws are," Huey continued. "What's wrong with ostriches? They can run faster than horses!"

"Oh sure, then you're going to talk about the Winter Warlock's redemption felt 'forced'," Louie sarcastically stated with an eye-roll.

"A toy train can't instantly make people change their minds!!!!!!" Huey hollered as he frantically waved his arms.

At that point, Lena had already returned from the bedroom to get her mind off the bedroom's emptiness. Not less than a minute upon returning the foyer, she witnessed the unfolding episode, leaving her speechless as she backed away out of confusion. "I take it this is normal for the family?" she guessed.

"Apparently so," Duckworth replied. "But I have lived long enough to know there have been other out-of-place Christmas, much like the time Mr. McDuck cloned himself for his first company party-" He stopped speaking as a confused expression appeared on his face.

"He cloned himself?" Lena asked. "Why would he do that?"

"N-No, that does not sound right..." Duckworth muttered. "Yet I remember seeing two Scrooges that evening..."

Lena's level of bafflement was on par with Duckworth's judging from how one of her eyebrows furrowed while the other was raised. Why would he clone himself on Christmas night, let alone on the night of his first company party? Was there any reason for him to do that? …Or was it not supposed to happen? A small sigh slipped out as a question popped into her mind, _Tonight just keeps getting weirder, isn't it?_

At that moment, Launchpad chose this opportunity to walk in. "Sorry I'm late," he apologized. "Couldn't find my favorite Hanukkah sweater and-" He stopped talking upon realizing Huey was in the middle of yet another Christmas special lecture.

"...and the last time we were approached a stranger who happened to look like Santa Claus, Uncle Donald threatened to call the police!" the red-cladded nephew concluded. He paused to take a few deep breaths, although he clearly looked exasperated.

"Does this happen every Christmas?" Webby asked Louie.

"Only every time a special is mentioned," the self-proclaimed evil triplet answered. He went back to writing his Christmas letter, which was already rewritten after the first letter got crumbled up. "Shouldn't Dewey be out here right now?"

Lena panicked and clamped her mouth over her beak, something Duckworth noticed. "You wouldn't happen to know where he is, would you?" he questioned.

Lena frantically shook her head in response, causing Duckworth to glare at her. A couple beads of sweat steadily slid down from the left side of her forehead to her left cheek, mouth still clamped shut as she quickly glanced to the staircase in the hallway that led to the triplets' bedroom. It doesn't help that the noise coming from the grandfather clock elevated the mounting pressure as it ticked every second. Lena could feel her own heart thumping against her chest, fear and worry coursing through her veins in every trace of… whatever shadows have instead of blood. The longer she stood in silence, the more suspicous Duckworth grew. Ultimately, she cracked and forced herself to spill the beans. The empty bedroom, Dewey flying into Duckburg along with Scrooge and three apparitions, everything. 

"I'm sorry!" Lena cried out once she was finished. "I didn't want anyone else to worry about his disappearance!"

"So he flew into Duckburg with Scrooge and three apparitions?" Duckworth recalled. He let out a small hum as he put his hand on his chin. "This is all starting to make sense."

"You know where he went?" Lena asked.

"Sort of," Duckworth admitted. "But just to make sure..." He floated over to Mrs. Beakley, who was in the middle of trying to get Huey to calm down. "I beg your pardon, but do you recall seeing two replicas of Master Scrooge at his first company party?"

"What? Of course not!" Beakley shouted as she tried to restrain the hat-wearing nephew. "Why are you bringing this up?!"

"Because I have my suspicions regarding Master Dewford's whereabouts," Duckworth explained. "Now are you sure you did not see anything strange?"

Upon being asked the question, Mrs. Beakley dropped Huey in shock. "No, but... I remember seeing a rather handsome fellow wearing a black cloak. I never learned his name, but his appearance was rather striking."

Black cloak? In all his time spent alive, Duckworth doesn't recall seeing someone wearing a black cloak. Wait, has he? He took a moment to ponder about Mrs. Beakley's response while taking the time to see if he really is second guessing his memories, and not even a few seconds in, his ears perked as it detected the sound of a nearby gasp. A slight turn of his head and he could notice Lena running down the stairs to stand next to where he was floating; he had taken notice to her changed expression, from the raised eyebrows to the widened eyes. Clearly, the pieces were all falling into place. 

"Masters Scrooge and Dewford have gone back in time," Duckworth blurted out.

At that moment, all of the ducks in the room stopped what they were doing and looked at Duckworth in alarm. "They're doing what?" Launchpad asked.

Duckworth sighed. "While I was still alive, Master Scrooge had formed an unlikely friendship with the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future," he explained. "It all started back on Christmas of 1983 and the four have been time-hopping to various Christmas parties ever since. But it seem this year, he has gone and messed with his own history."

"Then why would you bring up Dewey?" Donald wondered.

"I have a hunch he has joined them," Duckworth answered, keeping Lena's presence a secret.

"No, that seems unlikely," Mrs. Beakley responded. "I can't recall seeing Dewey at the party."

Not at the Christmas party? But how can that be? He had a feeling Dewey most likely traveled back to the past with Scrooge and the Christmas ghosts… but maybe not back to where—sorry, _when_ —they ended up. Duckworth took the time to reflect on everything that has happened during the party: Mrs. Beakley having loads of fun, the unexpected arrival of the Beagle Boys, and even the peculiar anomaly of two Scrooges now engraved in memories. Unfortunately, after skimming through every memorized second of the event, he found himself on the same boat as Mrs. Beakley; he doesn't remember seeing the middle triplet either. He broke the news of the conclusion he had reached and it didn't take long for everyone to fill themselves with a sense of apprehension, including Huey, who managed to calm down after unleashing the Duke once again. 

Why the heck would Dewey resort to time travel during a night like this? Did he get lost in the past? Is he inadvertently making any paradoxes? How is he going to fend for himself in whatever time period he ends up in? Numerous questions wouldn't stop forming and circulating in everyone's heads, but for Lena, she concentrated on a set of thoughts relating to the new dilemma although they were more guilty than worrisome. Planting a hand on her head, she couldn't help but ponder about how events would've unfolded differently if she checked on him much earlier. Maybe several minutes ago when Donald went upstairs to see if his nephew was up for the festivities? If so, then she would've at least had a better chance at getting Dewey's attention. Coincidentally, her thoughts were cut off by a voice she recognized all too well and she glanced up to see Donald just having an epiphany, but it doesn't seem to be a hopeful epiphany. In fact, whatever he just realized made him petrified. 

"Oh no..." Donald muttered.

"What do you mean by 'oh no'?" Huey wondered, sounding concerned about the change in his uncle's tone.

"I just remembered something that happened to me one Christmas," Donald explained. "Della went out into the woods one night in an attempt to catch Santa, but she..." He started sweating bullets. "She..."

"She what?" Duckworth asked.

"She was..." Donald swallowed hard. "...a-attacked by a strange creature. She was in the hospital for a month and a half because of the injuries she received." He rubbed his forehead. "How am I suddenly remembering this?"

"What did this creature look like?" Webby asked.

"How should I know?" Donald asked in response. "I never went out into the woods that night. Della didn't return until the next morning with a slashed arm. She kept on muttering about a horned beast and she vowed to never go back in the woods."

"A horned beast...?" Huey muttered. Then his eyes widened. "Oh no..."

**Author's Note:**

> While writing this, I came up with a headcanon where Lena hardly batted an eye on celebrating the holidays until after the Shadow War. Seeing how she was created from Magica's shadow and under her "aunt's" command for 15 years, holidays like Christmas, Halloween, Valentine's Day, or even Easter was the last thing never crossed her mind. PetildaFan further expanded on this by including an explanation on how shadows celebrated Christmas to establish what they typically do during this time of year. After becoming Webby's shadow, Lena soon developed genuine curiosity about the holidays whenever their respective season comes around; she only knows about the shadows' traditions, so seeing how everyone on Earth celebrated was rather new to her. Plus, she's free from Magica's control and she wishes to experience the festivites for herself, even if she was stuck in the Shadow Realm at first.


End file.
